296 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Whitened buds will remain practically 

 dormant, whereas unprotected buds 

 frequently burst into growth during 

 warm spells, as already mentioned. Kx- 

 periments have shown that whitened 

 buds blossom six days or more later 

 than those unsprayed. 



Whitewashing for winter protection 

 should be done early in winter; apply 

 two coats, and repeat as often as neces- 

 sary to keep the trees white. Usually 

 two or three sprayings are sufficient. 

 The following formula was used in some 



experiments personally conducted by 

 the writer at the O.A.C., Guelph, 

 amd gave good results: Lime (luislak- 

 ed), 2 pounds; water, one gallon; 

 skim milk, one quart; salt, five ounces. 

 These figures merely indicate the 

 relative proportions of a quantity 

 sufficient to spray one good-sized peach 

 tree. Slake the lime in warm water, stir 

 to slake quickly and well, add the re- 

 maining ingredients, and mix thoroughly 

 The skim milk is not essential, but it is 

 thought to add to the effectiveness and 



adhesiveness of the material. When 

 thonjughly prepared, strain the mixture 

 through a fine-meshed sieveandapplyhot. 

 The use of the lime-sulphur wash has 

 a similar effect, but, as it is not applied 

 until early spring, its value in this re- 

 pect is not marked. Before the custom- 

 ary time for applying this wash, peach 

 and other tender trees are Hable to in 

 jury. For purposes of winter protection 

 a lime wash must be appUed in early 

 winter and repeated often enough to 

 keep the trees white. 



Some City Garden Troubles' 



AMATEUR gardening has its por- 

 tion of troubles. Like the pro- 

 fessional florist, the commercial 

 fruit grower and the truck farmer, the 

 amateur is occasionally the victim of 

 adversity, due to inexperience, insect 

 and fungous enemies, unfavorable con- 

 ditions and other causes. 



MEALY BUGS 



On greenhouse and indoor plants, 

 mealy bugs are troublesome. They de- 

 rive their name from the fact that they 

 are covered by a white, powdery sub- 

 stance, which is really a secretion of the 

 insects themselves. By this character- 

 istic they are easily identified. 



Mealy bugs thrive best in a high tem- 

 perature. Spraying with cold water 

 usually will hold them in check. They 

 are destroyed also by contact poisons. 

 A dilute kerosene emulsion is satisfac- 

 tory. Where the number of plants is 

 small, they can be cleaned of the pest 

 by touching the infested parts with a 

 brush dipped in methylated spirits. 



"AMERICAN BLIGHT" 



On apple and crab apple trees in city 

 gardens, where spraying is not practised, 

 the woolly apple louse, or "American 

 Bhght," as it is called in England, may 

 accumulate and do much injury. They 

 appear like tufts of cotton attached to 

 the leaves and bark. They secrete a 

 fine cottony fibre, beneath which they 

 are concealed. The eggs may be found 

 singly in the bark crevices during winter. 

 Where the cottony masses are too nu- 

 merous to destroy by hand, the best 

 remedy is kerosene emulsion. 



CHERRY TREE TROUBLES 



Like the commercial orchard, the 

 city man's fruit garden has a host of 

 troublesome pests. During the past 

 season in Toronto many newly-set cherry 

 trees did not do well, owing either to 

 lack of proper attention or to insect 

 and fungous enemies. To grow and 

 thrive from the start, a cherry tree 

 must be planted right. Long exposure 



*The topics that make up this article were 

 discussed at a recent meeting of the Toronto 

 Horticultural Society. 



of the roots to sun and air is injurious. 

 The tree should be properly pruned 

 when set. All ragged and bruised roots 

 ought to be removed and cut off clean, 

 and the tops should be pruned and 

 thinned out to counterbalance the loss 

 of roots. The hole to receive the tree 

 must be large enough to take in the 

 roots without cramping. It is necessary, 

 also, to pack the soil firmly about the 

 roots. Water poured into the hole will 

 make the operation more safe. 



The Cherry Aphis has done much 

 damage on trees in Toronto gardens. 

 Unless the owner is obser\'ant, the 

 aphids multiply rapidly and badly in- 

 jure the foliage before they are noticed. 

 This insect winters in the egg stage, 

 the eggs being laid on young twigs close 

 to the buds. Trees that are badly in- 

 fected should be trimmed thoroughly in 

 winter and the cuttings destroyed. The 

 eggs are of a reddish color, and can 

 easily be seen upon close inspection. 

 Where pruning or destroying the eggs 

 is not desirable, much can be done by 

 spraying the trees as soon as the eggs 

 hatch in spring with kerosene emulsion — 

 one part in 12 parts of water. 



SALVIA SPLENDENS 



The Scarlet Sage, Salvia splendens, is 

 a well-known and popular tender peren- 

 nial. It blooms late in fall and makes 

 a fine effect in beds or borders. It 'S 

 easily transplanted, and when removed 

 to the house in fall, the plants continue 

 in bloom for some time. Unless a rare 

 strain or variety, it is not necessary to 

 carry plants over winter. Should this 

 plan be desired, it is best to take up 

 from the garden early enough to make 

 good roots; cut back to get cuttings, 

 and later strike the cuttings in sand. 



New plants may be got from seed. 

 Sow in February. When seedlings are 

 large enough, pot them. Good plants 

 may be had in plenty of time for plant- 

 ing out in spring. 



GROWING DAHLIAS 



The dahlia is an old favorite. Even 

 the formal flowered types have a place 

 in the appreciation of many home gar- 

 deners. The loose-flowered forms and 



the improved single sorts are favored 

 by everybody. The single varieties may 

 be grown from seed, but the double 

 sorts should be grown from cuttings of 

 the young shoots or from division of 

 the roots. If cuttings are to be made, 

 it will be necessarj' to start the roots 

 early, either in hotbed or house. The 

 cuttings should be made when the 

 growth is four or five inches long, usually 

 May or June. Take care to cut just 

 below the joint, as a cutting made be- 

 tween two joints will not form tubers. 

 Pinch out the terminal bud. Start the 

 cuttings in sandy soil near a fence or 

 building. Later they should be trans- 

 planted to desired position in the garden. 



The later that dahlias are started, the 

 greater the chance of freedom from in- 

 jury by the dahlia "bug." Late-planted 

 dahlias produce the best blooms. They 

 do best in cool, moist seasons. In dry 

 seasons, the striped dahUa "bug" is 

 most active. It is difficult to combat, 

 but when conditions are unfavorable 

 for it, such as inferred — cool, moist 

 weather, and plants started late in 

 season — it will not do much damage. 



Dahlias flourish best in a deep, rich, 

 moist soil. Clay should be avoided. 

 Sandy soil will do, provided plant food 

 and moisture are furnished. In most 

 home gardens, the plants are allowed 

 to reach their full height, and are tied 

 to stakes. To grow them without 

 stakes, pinch out the centre of each 

 plant after it makes two or three joints. 

 Thus, the lateral branches will be made 

 to start near the ground ; the plant will 

 be stiff enough to withstand the winds. 



After the first frost in fall, hft the 

 roots. A Uttle earth may be left on 

 them, but it is not necessary. Let 

 them dry for two or three days and 

 protect at night with a covering of 

 paper. Trim off the tops to within six 

 inches from the roots. Store them in 

 a cellar. Do not allow them to freeze, 

 but keep them at a fairly low tempera- 

 ture. Canna roots may be treated simi- 

 larly, except that, in their case, it is 

 best to allow the earth to adhere. It 

 prevents shrivelling. 



